* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch pronunciation: ( ); born 10 May 1969) is a former Dutchprofessionalfootballer, who is the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. Originally a wide midfielder, Bergkamp was moved to main striker and then to second striker, where he remained throughout his playing career. Bergkamp has been described by Jan Mulder as having "the finest technique" of any Dutch international[3] and a "dream for a striker" by teammate Thierry Henry.[4]

The son of an electrician, Bergkamp was born in Amsterdam and played as an amateur in the lower leagues. He was spotted by Ajax at the age of 11 and made his professional debut in 1986. Good form led to an international call-up a year later, attracting the attention of several European clubs. Bergkamp signed for Italian club Internazionale in 1993, where he had two disappointing seasons. He then joined Arsenal in 1995. It was at Arsenal where Bergkamp rejuvenated his career, helping the club to win three Premier League titles, four FA Cup trophies and reach the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final, which marked his last appearance as a player. With the Netherlands national team, Bergkamp surpassed Faas Wilkes's record to become the country's top goalscorer of all time in 1998, a record later eclipsed by Patrick Kluivert and Robin van Persie.

Bergkamp was selected by Pelé as one of the FIFA 100 greatest living players and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in his generation. In 2007, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame, the first and so far only Dutch player ever to receive such honour. Bergkamp has also finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice. Due to his fear of flying, Bergkamp has been affectionately nicknamed the "Non-Flying Dutchman" by Arsenal supporters.

Early life

Born in Amsterdam, Bergkamp was the last of Wim and Tonnie Bergkamp's four sons.[5][6] He was brought up in a working-class suburb, in a family aspiring to reach middle-class status.[6] His father, an electrician and amateur footballer in the lower leagues, named him in honour of Scottish striker Denis Law.[7] To comply with Dutch given name customs, an extra "n" was inserted in Bergkamp's first name by his father after it was not accepted by the registrar.[8] Bergkamp was raised as a Catholic by his family and regularly attended church during his childhood.[9] Although in later years he said visits to church did not appeal to him, Bergkamp still maintains his faith.[9]

In later seasons, Bergkamp established himself as a first-team player for Ajax. This culminated in a period of success for the club, which won the Eredivisie title in the 1989–90 season for the first time in five years. Bergkamp scored 29 goals in 36 games the following season and became the joint top goalscorer in the league, sharing the accolade with PSV Eindhoven striker Romário. Ajax won the 1992 UEFA Cup Final, beating Torino through the away goals ruling. They then defeated SC Heerenveen 6–2 in the final of the KNVB Cup on 20 May 1993.[13][14] Bergkamp was the top scorer in the Eredivisie from 1991 to 1993, and was voted Dutch Footballer of the Year in 1992 and 1993.[15] In total, he scored 122 goals in 239 games for his hometown club.

Internazionale: 1993–1995

Bergkamp attracted the attention of several European clubs as a result of his performances for Ajax. Cruyff advised him not to join Real Madrid, one of the teams said to have been interested in him.[16] But Bergkamp was insistent on playing in Italy.[17] He considered Serie A "the biggest league at the time" and preferred a move to either Juventus or Internazionale.[17] On 16 February 1993, Bergkamp agreed a £7.1 million move to the latter club in a deal which included his Ajax teammate Wim Jonk.[18] Upon signing, Bergkamp said Inter "met all my demands. The most important thing for me was the stadium, the people at the club and their style of play."[18]

In Bergkamp's second season at Inter, the club changed managers again, appointing Ottavio Bianchi. Bergkamp endured a disappointing campaign, troubled with stress injuries and fatigue from the 1994 World Cup. He managed to score five goals in 26 appearances. Off the field, Bergkamp's relationship with the Italian press and fans became uncomfortable. His shy persona and his propensity to go home after matches was interpreted as apathy.[24] Because of his poor performance on the pitch, one Italian publication renamed their award given to the worst performance of the week, L'asino della settimana (Donkey of the Week) to Bergkamp della settimana.[17][25] Inter ended the league season in sixth position and failed to retain the UEFA Cup, with the club eliminated in the second round. In February 1995, the club was purchased by Italian businessman and fan Massimo Moratti, who promised to invest heavily in the squad.[26] Bergkamp's future in the first team was uncertain following the signing of Maurizio Ganz a month after the takeover.[27]

Arsenal: 1995–2006

As Moratti prepared to make wholesale changes at the club, Bergkamp left Inter and signed with Arsenal in June 1995 for a transfer fee estimated at £7.5 million.[28] He became manager Bruce Rioch's first signing at Arsenal and broke the club's transfer fee record set at £2.5 million.[28] Bergkamp's arrival at the club was significant not only because he was an established international footballer who looked to have his best years ahead of him but also because he was a major contributor to Arsenal's return to success after much decline in the mid-1990s. On the opening day of the 1995–96 league season, Bergkamp made his full debut against Middlesbrough. He struggled to adapt to the English game and failed to score in the club's next six league matches, prompting ridicule by the national press. On 23 September 1995, Bergkamp scored his first and second goals for Arsenal against Southampton at Highbury.[29] Bergkamp ended his first season with 33 appearances and a goal tally of 11, helping Arsenal finish fifth and earn a place in the UEFA Cup by scoring the winner against Bolton Wanderers on the final day of the season.[30]

The appointment of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal manager in September 1996 marked a turning point in Bergkamp's career.[31] Wenger, who had moderate success coaching in France and Japan, recognised Bergkamp's talent and wanted to use him as a fulcrum of the team's forward play.[31] Both were advocates of a continental style of attacking football, and Wenger's decision to impose a strict fitness and health regime pleased Bergkamp.[31] Despite making fewer appearances in the 1996–97 season, Bergkamp was more influential in the first team, creating 13 assists. Against Tottenham Hotspur in November 1996, he set up an 88th-minute winner for captain Tony Adams to volley in using his left foot. He then scored in injury time, controlling a high ball with his left foot and evading his marker Stephen Carr in a tight area to set up his shot.[32] Bergkamp received his first red card against Sunderland in January 1997 for a high tackle on midfielder Paul Bracewell in the 26th minute.[33] Arsenal went on to lose the match 1–0, but a run of eight wins in their final 16 matches gave the club a third-place finish, missing out on a spot in the Champions League via goal difference.[34]

Bergkamp in action for Arsenal

Bergkamp was instrumental the following season in helping Arsenal complete a domestic league and cup double. He became the club's top scorer with 22 goals and recorded a strike rate of 0.57. Arsenal's achievement was all the more astonishing given that the team, written off by many in December 1997, had made ground on reigning Premier League champions Manchester United.[35][36] Early in the season away to Leicester City at Filbert Street on 23 August 1997, Bergkamp scored his first hat-trick for the club.[37] The third goal, which he regarded as his favourite for Arsenal,[38] required just one touch to control the ball in the penalty box, another to flick it past his marker Matt Elliott before juggling it with his feet and shooting past goalkeeper Kasey Keller. After the match, Leicester manager Martin O'Neill was gracious enough to admit that Bergkamp's was "the best hat-trick I've ever seen".[39] In an FA Cup quarter-final replay against West Ham United on 17 March 1998, Bergkamp was sent off for elbowing midfielder Steve Lomas and missed three matches due to suspension.[40] He played no further part in Arsenal's season after overstretching his hamstring against Derby County on 29 April 1998, missing the 1998 FA Cup Final.[41] Bergkamp was consoled with the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, becoming only the second foreign player to be recognised by his fellow professionals as the outstanding performer in English football.[42]

After an effective 1998 World Cup campaign with the national team, Bergkamp had another productive season in 1998–99. Although Arsenal failed to retain the Premier League after losing the title on the final day of the season to Manchester United, Bergkamp was the club's second-top scorer with 16 goals. The team were also defeated in a FA Cup semi-final replay against Manchester United in April 1999.[43] With the score 1–1 heading into injury time, Arsenal were awarded a penalty after midfielder Ray Parlour was brought down by Phil Neville inside the 18-yard box. Bergkamp took the penalty shot, but it was saved by goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. In the second half of extra time, Ryan Giggs scored the winner, a goal regarded by many as the greatest in the competition's history.[43][44][45] After this miss, Bergkamp did not take another penalty for the remainder of his career.[46]

Success finally came in the 2001–02 season. Arsenal regained the league, beating Manchester United at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the season to complete the club's second double under Wenger; Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2–0 to win the FA Cup four days prior.[53] Bergkamp played in 33 league matches, setting up 15 goals, one of which was against Juventus in the second group stage of the Champions League. Holding off two markers, he twisted and turned before feeding the ball to Freddie Ljungberg in the penalty box to score.[54] Bergkamp headed in the winner against Liverpool in a FA Cup fourth-round tie on 27 January 2002, but was shown a red card for a two-footed lunge on defender Jamie Carragher, who himself was sent off for throwing a coin into the crowd.[55] He was subsequently banned for three matches (two league, one FA Cup round).[56] Bergkamp appealed for his ban, but was unsuccessful.[57] He made his return against Newcastle United on 3 March 2002. Early in the match, Arsenal midfielder Robert Pirès played a low pass from the left flank to Bergkamp in the edge of the opponent area with his back to goal. Under pressure from his marker Nikos Dabizas, Bergkamp controlled the ball with one flick and went around the other side before placing the ball precisely into the bottom right-hand corner to score. Wenger described the goal as "unbelievable",[58] adding "It was not only a magnificent goal but a very important one – I enjoyed it a lot".[58] Bergkamp featured in nine out of the last ten league games, forming a productive partnership with Ljungberg.[59]

Bergkamp with Arsenal in 2003.

Bergkamp reached a personal landmark during the 2002–03 season, scoring his 100th goal for Arsenal against Oxford United in a FA Cup third-round tie on 4 January 2003.[60][61] In the league, Arsenal failed to retain the championship despite having led by eight points in March 2003.[62] They did, however, win the FA Cup for a second successive year, beating Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup Final.[63] On 20 July 2003, Bergkamp signed a one-year extension at the club.[64] The 2003–04 season ended on a high point for Bergkamp as Arsenal reclaimed the league title, becoming the first English team in more than a century to go through the entire domestic league season unbeaten. Against Leicester City in the final league match of the campaign with the score tied at 1–1, Bergkamp set up the winner with a pass to captain Patrick Vieira. Vieira rounded the goalkeeper and scored.[65] The team, dubbed "The Invincibles"[65] did not achieve similar dominance in Europe; Arsenal were beaten by Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Champions League over two legs.[66] Bergkamp committed himself to Arsenal at the end of the season, signing a further extension to his contract.[67]

Bergkamp started in 29 league matches in the 2004–05 season, but Arsenal's title defence ended unsuccessfully. The team finished second, 12 points behind Chelsea. At home against Middlesbrough on 22 August 2004, Bergkamp acted as captain for the injured Vieira in a match where Arsenal came back from 1–3 down to win 5–3 and equal Nottingham Forest's record of 42 league matches undefeated.[68] Against Sheffield United in the FA Cup on 19 February 2005, Bergkamp was shown a straight red card by referee Neale Barry for shoving defender Danny Cullip.[69] His appeal of the decision was rejected by The Football Association, meaning that he missed the club's next three domestic games.[70] In Arsenal's final home match of the season against Everton, Bergkamp had a man of the match game, scoring once and assisting three of the goals in a 7–0 win.[71] Bergkamp was moved by Arsenal supporters chanting "one more year", describing it as "quite special". "They obviously feel there is another year left in me, so that's great as it shows they're really behind me," he said.[72] Following Arsenal's penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup Final, he signed a one-year contract extension.[73]

The Emirates Stadium filling up during Bergkamp's testimonial match between Arsenal and Ajax in July 2006.

The team finished fourth in the league in Bergkamp's [76] "Bergkamp Day" took place on 15 April 2006 and saw Arsenal up against West Bromwich Albion. It celebrated the player's contribution to Arsenal; fans were given commemorative orange 'DB10' T-shirts – the colour of his national team, his initials and his squad number.[76] Bergkamp himself came on as a second-half substitute and set up the winning Pirès goal moments after Nigel Quashie had levelled the scoreline. Fittingly, Bergkamp's 89th-minute goal proved to be his last for Arsenal in competitive football.[4][77] Bergkamp was an unused substitute in his final match for Arsenal against Barcelona in the Champions League final; Barcelona scored twice in the last 13 minutes to overturn Arsenal's early lead and win the competition.[78]

Bergkamp was the focus of the first match at Arsenal's new ground, the Emirates Stadium. On 22 July 2006, a testimonial was played in his honour at the new stadium as Arsenal played his old club Ajax. Bergkamp kicked off the match with his father, Wim, and son, Mitchel. All four children acted as the match's mascots. The first half was played by members of Arsenal and Ajax's current squads, while the second was played by famous ex-players from both sides, including Ian Wright, Vieira, Overmars, Petit and David Seaman for Arsenal, and Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Danny Blind, Frank and Ronald de Boer for Ajax. Arsenal won the match 2–1 with goals from Henry and Nwankwo Kanu. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had earlier opened the scoring for Ajax, making him the first goalscorer at the Emirates Stadium.[79]

International career

Bergkamp made his international debut for the Netherlands national team against Italy on 26 September 1990 as a substitute for Frank de Boer. He scored his first goal for the team against Greece on 21 November 1990.[80] Bergkamp was selected for Euro 1992, where his national team were the defending champions. Although Bergkamp impressed, scoring three goals in the tournament, the team lost on penalties to eventual champions Denmark.[81]

Against Wales in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification on 9 November 1996, he scored his first hat-trick for the national team.[85] The Netherlands finished first in their group and qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, held in France. Bergkamp scored three times in the competition, including a memorable winning goal in the final minute of the quarterfinal against Argentina. He took one touch to control a long 60-yard aerial pass from Frank de Boer, brought the ball down through Argentine defender Roberto Ayala's legs, and finally finished by firing a volley with the outside of his right foot, past the keeper at a tight angle from the right.[86] The goal, cited by Bergkamp as his favourite in his career, was his 36th for the national team, overtaking Faas Wilkes as the record goalscorer.[87] In the semi-finals, the Netherlands lost to Brazil on penalties after drawing 1–1 in normal time.[17][88] Bergkamp made the All-Star team of the tournament, alongside Frank de Boer and Edgar Davids.

On 9 October 1999, Bergkamp scored his final goal for the Netherlands, against Brazil.[89] As the Netherlands were co-hosts for Euro 2000, the team automatically qualified for the tournament and were considered favourites.[90] In the semi-finals, the Netherlands lost 3–1 on penalties to Italy.[91] Following the defeat, Bergkamp announced his retirement from international football, choosing to focus on his club career.[92] His final goal tally of 37 goals in 79 appearances was overtaken by Patrick Kluivert in June 2003.[93]

Coaching career

Upon retiring, Bergkamp insisted he would not move into coaching. He turned down an offer to scout for Arsenal and instead concentrated on travelling and spending time with his family.[94] However, in April 2008 he began a fast-track coaching diploma for former Dutch international footballers and undertook a trainee role at Ajax.[94][95] Having completed the Coach Betaald Voetbal course by the KNVB, Bergkamp was appointed assistant to Johan Neeskens for the newly formed Netherlands B team on 26 October 2008.[96] For the 2008–09 season, Bergkamp returned to Ajax in a formal coaching position with responsibility for the D2 (U12) youth team. Following the promotion of Frank de Boer as manager of Ajax in December 2010, Bergkamp was appointed assistant manager to Fred Grim, dealing with Ajax' flagship A1 (U19) youth team.[97]

Aerophobia

Bergkamp's nickname is the Non-Flying Dutchman due to his fear of flying. This stemmed from an incident with the Netherlands national team at the 1994 World Cup where the engine of the plane cut out during a flight,[104] prompting a journalist to joke about having a bomb in his bag.[105] Following this incident, Bergkamp decided he would never fly again but did consider seeking psychiatric help:

I've got this problem and I have to live with it. I can't do anything about it, it is a psychological thing and I can't explain it. I have not flown on a plane for two years. The Dutch FA has been sympathetic, so have Arsenal, so far. I am considering psychiatric help. I can't fly. I just freeze. I get panicky. It starts the day before, when I can't sleep.[105]

The condition severely limited his ability to play in away matches in European competitions and to travel with the national team. In some cases, he would travel overland by car or train, but the logistics of some matches were such that he would not travel at all.[104] In the build-up to Arsenal's Champions League match against Olympique Lyonnais in February 2001, Wenger spoke of his concerns for Bergkamp travelling by train and car, because of the exertions involved.[106]

Style of play

"He needs fewer touches to score. Sometimes just one, when others need two or three."

Bergkamp was schooled in Total Football, a playing style and philosophy which relied on versatility. This was primarily to maximise the footballer's potential; players tried out every outfield position before finding one that suit them best.[6] Every age group at Ajax played in the same style and formation on the first team – 3–4–3 – to allow individuals to slot in without effort when moving up the pyramid.[6] Bergkamp "played in every position apart from goalie" and believed he benefited from the experience of playing as a defender, as it helped him "know how they think and how to beat them".[6] When he made his debut as a substitute against Roda JC, Bergkamp was positioned on the right wing, where he remained for three years.[6] During his time at Inter Milan, he was switched to a main striker, but failed to cooperate with partner Ruben Sosa, whom he later called "selfish".[6] When Bergkamp joined Arsenal in 1995, he enjoyed a successful strike partnership with Wright, and in later seasons Anelka and Henry, playing in his preferred position as a second striker. The arrival of Overmars in the 1997–98 season enhanced Bergkamp's play, as he was getting more of the ball. Between August and October 1997, he scored seven goals in seven league matches.[107] A similar rapport developed between him and Ljungberg during the 2001–02 season.[59]

Throughout his playing career Bergkamp was referred to as a "cheat" and "dirty player", something his former manager Wenger refuted.[108][109][110] In an interview with The Times in 2004, he said that while he was at Inter Milan, he realized the importance of being mentally tough in order to survive: "A lot of people there try to hurt you, not just physically but mentally as well, and coming from the easygoing culture in Holland, I had to adopt a tougher approach. There, it was a case of two strikers up against four or five hard defenders who would stop at nothing."[6] Bergkamp says his aggression often stems from frustration.[6]

In April 2007, Bergkamp was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame by viewers of BBC's Football Focus.[113] A year later, he was voted second by Arsenal fans behind Thierry Henry in a list of the 50 Gunners Greatest Players.[114] In February 2014, Arsenal unveiled a statue of Bergkamp outside the Emirates Stadium to honour his time at the club.[115] A summary of Bergkamp's individual achievements are as follows in chronological order:

This article was sourced from Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. World Heritage Encyclopedia content is assembled from numerous content providers, Open Access Publishing, and in compliance with The Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR), Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Public Library of Science, The Encyclopedia of Life, Open Book Publishers (OBP), PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and USA.gov, which sources content from all federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government publication portals (.gov, .mil, .edu). Funding for USA.gov and content contributors is made possible from the U.S. Congress, E-Government Act of 2002.

Crowd sourced content that is contributed to World Heritage Encyclopedia is peer reviewed and edited by our editorial staff to ensure quality scholarly research articles.

By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. World Heritage Encyclopedia™ is a registered trademark of the World Public Library Association, a non-profit organization.